New Venture

So I am going to be working on more topics for my blog like business ideas/ventures and money savers. I am going to start with my latest purchase from Amazon at 93% off! Who doesn't need a label maker?! And one thats 15 dollars shipped (if you have Prime) when it retails for over 100!!

Low Fat Cheesecake

Low Fat  Cheesecake Recipe
Yield:
1 Serving
Ingredients:
1 1/2 c Graham crumbs
1 tb sugar subsitute
1 single egg white
1 c low fat cottage cheese (1%)
2 c Greek Yogurt (I use Trader Joes)
½ c sugar substitute
2 tb flour
1 egg
2 egg whites
2 ts vanilla
19 oz pie filling ( I choose to make my own topping from scratch)
Preparation:
In small bowl, blend crumbs and sugar. Add egg white and stir until well-blended. Press firmly over bottom and partway up sides of sprayed 8″ spring form pan. Bake at 375F 8 mins until edges feel firm and dry. Set aside.
Process cottage cheese and sour cream in a blender for about 1 minute until smooth. Add sugar, flour, egg, egg whites and vanilla and blend again.
Pour into prepared crust and bake at 300F for 1hr and 15 mins until edges are dry to touch and center jiggles only slightly when pan is shaken.
Cool completely, then cover and refrigerate for at least 5 hrs before serving. Serve with pie filling on top.
Make sure to blend until smooth to avoid grainy texture.

My Labor Day Baking Treat

I am making one of my favorite dishes today from one of my favorite blogs www.bariatricfoodie.com

Jen's Corn Pudding 
Ingredients:

2 eggs
1 can whole kernel corn (or 1 1/2 cups leftover whole kernel corn)
1 can cream style corn 

(or 1 1/2 cups leftover creamed corn)

½ c. Blue Bonnet Light butter spread, melted
2 tbsp no-calorie sweetener
½ c. Atkins baking mix
½ c. nonfat Greek yogurt
½ pkg Jiffy corn muffin mix
8 slices cooked bacon, crumbled (optional)
1 ½ c. + ½ c. 2% shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp salt
OPTIONAL: 2 scoops Any Whey Unflavored Protein powder (recommended if you are early out)


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine corn, eggs, Greek 

yogurt, butter, eggs, garlic powder, onion powder, Splenda, and salt until thoroughly combined. 

Fold in the corn muffin mix, Atkins baking mix, crumbled bacon, protein powder (if using it), and 

1 ½ cups of cheese. Stir with a rubber spatula until completely mixed together. 

Spray a 9x9 inch casserole dish or baking pan with cooking spray, then pour the batter into the pan. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from oven, top with remaining cheese, then return to oven for an additional 5 to 10 minutes just until the cheese melts. 

Greek Yogurt Lowfat Cheesecake

Greek Yogurt Low Fat Cheesecake

6 oz graham cracker crumbs (about 8 graham crackers)
4 tbsp butter
1 1/2 cups 2% cottage cheese
8 oz low-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups low-fat Greek yogurt
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs, at room temperature
pinch of salt

• Stack 3-4 paper towels on a plate and spread the cottage cheese over the paper towels; let sit for 15 minutes.  Repeat with fresh paper towels.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• Pulse graham crackers and sugar in a food processor until crackers resemble fine crumbs.
• Toss cracker crumbs with melted butter and press into the bottom of a 9″ spring-form pan that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Bake crust for 10-15 minutes until just starting to brown.  Place crust on a wire rack to cool.
• Heat a medium-sized pan of water while preparing the filling.
• Beat cream cheese in KitchenAid for 1 minute; add cottage cheese and Greek yogurt.  Beat for another 1-2 minutes, or until smooth.
• Add sugar, salt, and vanilla and beat until combined.  Add eggs one at a time and beat until smooth.
• Carefully spray the sides of the spring-form pan with cooking spray.  Tightly wrap the outside of the spring-form pan with 2 layers of heavy-duty foil. Place spring-form pan inside a roasting pan and pour filling into spring-form pan.  Place roasting pan in the oven, and carefully pour the hot water into the baking pan to form a water bath.
• Bake for 10 minutes, then turn the oven to 250 degrees (do NOT open the oven door).  Continue to bake until an instant read thermometer inserted into the center reads 150 degrees, about 2 1/2 hours.
• Remove spring-form pan from the water bath, and transfer to a wire rack.  Cool for 10 minutes, then run a paring knife around the edge of the cake.  Cool to room temperature, about 3 hours, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Serves 12

Notes:

• Some low fat cheesecake recipes call for corn starch to thicken the cheesecake.  I tried this and found the resulting cheesecake more cake-like, and less custard-like.
• I used low-fat cottage cheese, yogurt, and cream cheese.  When made with no-fat versions, the cheesecake that never came together and tasted pretty bland.
• Use your favorite toppings as you would with any cheesecake.  I used caramel topping and homemade blueberry syrup.

A New Committment

Today, September 4th, 2011, I make a new committment to myself. I am going to committ to remembering why I had this surgery and why I need to lose weight. After I hit the 4 month mark and could eat whatever I could get down, I lost focus. I have lost 85 lbs in the last 9 months. I have to complete my goals. So, I made a delicious protein shake this morning. I am drinking it now for breakfast. I probably wont be hungry until late this afternoon for lunch and I will make a healthy choice there too. I refuse to give up. I have gone through too much. I will be successful.

I am a sucky blogger

Today is my day of recommitment. Today is the day I forget about all of the excuses I have made. Today is the day I put me first. It is time to get back on track and back on the wagon. It will be 6 months tomorrow since my surgery and I have lost 70lbs. That is sad. :( But today is a new day. I WILL go to the gym at least 3x a week, I WILL STOP eating in the drive through. I have 102 days until my wedding and I WILL FIT IN THE DRESS. (Its a 24!) Im tired of living this way but its not going to fix itself. After work I am going to run by and get my protein powder and buy some milk and start making my shakes again. I dont care if anyone is let down, disappointmented by my shortcomings because Im not doing this for anyone but me. It isn't easy but it will be so worth it!

My pouch is shrinking again! Yay

So I hit 70 lbs yay, think im at my first official plateou. (sp?) Im not a genius. Anyways, its ok. Its not even been 5 months. I saw a good friend this weekend who hasn't seen me since pre-op and he says he notices a BIG difference especially in my arms and legs, that was so good to hear!! I bought a few new outfits in smaller sizes yay But oh the title, welllll I ate at a Chinese buffet for the first time Sunday and I ate 3 chicken wings and I was done. I feel like my pouch is shrinking again :) Makes me happy, sometimes I am terrified I am going to stretch it out! So moral is, Im excited again, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel :)

I will post some pics